Strawberry Santa Hat Cupcakes

 

  

I saw this cute Christmas idea for Strawberry Santa Hats on Pinterest

and just knew that I had to put them on a cupcake.

Because EVERYTHING is better on a cupcake!

These cupcakes are super simple to make, so your kids would have fun helping.

I used my Strawberry Cake recipe, which is also super simple (and yummy!)

What You Need:

Batch of cupcakes

White frosting in a decorating bag with large round tip

Strawberries (rinsed with tops cut off)

You can find the red & white striped baking cups here.

Pipe a dollop of frosting on the top of a strawberry.

Turn the strawberry upside down and press on the center of your cupcake.
Pipe some large dots around the base of the strawberry.

Pipe a large dot on the tip of the strawberry.
(I also sprinkled some sugar on the frosting for texture.)

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Want some more Christmas cake & cupcake ideas? Check these out!

Red Velvet Bundt Cake

Snowman Cake
Eggnog Cupcakes with Nutmeg Frosting
Andes Mint Chocolate Cake

 

 I share my recipes & tutorials at these fun link parties.

This post was featured! 

Eggnog Cupcakes with Nutmeg Frosting

There are two kinds of people in this world.

Those who love eggnog...

and those who don't.

If you fall in the latter category, these Eggnog Cupcakes with Nutmeg Frosting
just may convince you to switch sides.

They are full of yummy eggnog flavor, 

topped with nutmeg cream cheese frosting.

These cupcakes are so delicious...WOW!
I need to give some away quickly, before I eat them all!

Eggnog Cupcakes with Nutmeg Frosting

by Bird On A Cake

6037273

Ingredients

Eggnog Cupcakes (Yield: 22-24 cupcakes)

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup eggnog
• 1 teaspoon rum extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Nutmeg Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons eggnog
• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. In another bowl, mix the eggnog, rum extract and vanilla. Alternate adding the dry and wet mixtures to the butter/sugar/eggs until thoroughly combined.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 with batter and bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the eggnog. Mix in the confectioners' sugar a little at a time, until thoroughly combined. Add the nutmeg.

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Maybe Santa would like one of these cupcakes on Christmas Eve? :0)

Enjoy!

 I share my recipes & tutorials at these fun link parties.

This post was featured!

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake

 
So, I was daydreaming about delicious holiday sweets...

and how I could create them in cake form.

(What, you don't do that?)

My mind wandered to chocolate covered cherries...
because I really, really love them...
then inspiration hit me!

I realized if I made my Maraschino Cherry Cake and covered it in chocolate,

it would taste like a giant chocolate covered cherry!

   
Fabulous idea, don't you think??

This cake is full of maraschino cherry chunks, covered with whipped chocolate ganache
and topped with homemade chocolate covered cherries.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake 
by Bird On A Cake

6036662

Maraschino Cherry Cake

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 egg whites
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon cherry extract
• 10 oz. bottle of maraschino cherries - reserve the juice and cut the cherries in eighths
• 2 tablespoons flour for sprinkling over diced cherries

Whipped Chocolate Ganache

• 1 (12 oz.) package mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of three 6 inch cake pans (or two 8 inch) with wax paper. Grease the sides.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Beat in the egg whites. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, cherry extract and reserved maraschino cherry juice. Alternate adding the dry and wet mixtures to the butter/sugar/eggs until combined.

In a small bowl, sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of flour over the diced cherries and stir until the flour has been completely absorbed. Stir the cherries into the batter.

Pour batter into prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Microwave chocolate chips and whipping cream in a microwave-safe bowl on medium power, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt. Whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Whisk in butter; let stand 20 minutes. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer 3 to 4 minutes or until ganache forms soft peaks. Spread on cooled cake.

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How to make Chocolate Covered Cherries

• Drain maraschino cherries with stems and pat them dry with a paper towel.
• Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave.
• Dip the cherries in the melted chocolate, then place on wax paper to harden.
• Arrange on top of your cake immediately after spreading the whipped ganache.

This cake would be a showstopper at any holiday party or family gathering!

Enjoy!

I share my recipes & tutorials at these fun link parties.

This post was featured!

Thanksgiving Pilgrim & Indian Cupcake Toppers

Poor Thanksgiving.

It seems to get forgotten in the mad rush to Christmas!

And Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday...

I love that we Americans dedicate a day to being thankful!

We gather our families together and focus on what is really important in life.

Remember the people who started it all?

To celebrate them, I used candy melts to make some cute
Pilgrim & Indian Cupcake Toppers.
 (I know we say "Native Americans" now. You may call these whatever you like!)

These toppers would be fun to make with your kids.

You can use my template to make the heads,

and let your little ones draw on some faces with frosting.

Then you can enjoy eating them together!

Start by copying or downloading this template:

• Tape the template to a cookie sheet or piece of cardboard. Tape a sheet of wax paper over the template.
• Heat your candy melts on 50% power in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until melted and smooth.
• To make the Indians skin color, I used peanut butter candy melts.
• To make the Pilgrim skin color, I used white candy melts mixed with a tiny drop of yellow and a tiny drop of orange food coloring gel.
• I used decorating bags fitted with Wilton #3 (small round) tips.

Want to know my secret weapon for getting straight lines and smooth edges

when working with candy melts?

Toothpicks!

First I fill in the outline without trying to reach the edge.

Then I use a toothpick to push the melted candy to the edge

and fill in any empty space or corners.

See before and after in the pics below:

 When your toppers are done, put them in the refrigerator to harden.

Then carefully peel them off the wax paper and turn them over.

Time to pipe on some faces!

You can use more candy melts or frosting.

Tip: A ziploc bag with the corner snipped off works well for little hands.

I want to say how thankful I am for all of you, my wonderful readers!

I love hearing from you and getting to share my cake obsession with you. :0)

You make this blog SO much fun for me!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Would you like to see another fun tutorial using candy melts?
Check out my Autumn Leaves Cake!

I share my recipes & tutorials at these fun link parties.

This post was featured!

Family Theme Halloween Costumes

I understand if you are a little confused.

You are probably thinking, "Um...where is the CAKE?"

Today I decided to share one of our family traditions with you.

Six years of family theme Halloween costumes!

This year we chose a Star Wars theme.

If you read my last post with the Butterscotch Bundt Cake recipe,

you already know that my oldest daughter is a huge Star Wars fan.

 

And here are our costumes from years past...

My secret weapon is that my mom is a fantastic seamstress,

and has spent many hours helping us make these costumes!

Alice in Wonderland (2011)

My parents even joined in on the fun!

Dr. Seuss (2010)

 Toy Story 2 (2009)

Steve Irwin & Crocodiles (2008)

The Incredibles (2007)

I hope you enjoyed taking a look at our family theme costumes.

Does your family dress up together too?

Tell me about your favorite costumes!

Happy Halloween!